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Colorado Springs, Colo. -March may be known for its “madness,” but Lancaster residents can expect a little "Indoor Insanity" when the U.S. Field Hockey Association hosts the National Indoor Tournament, March 16-18 at Franklin & Marshall College.

The first of two tournament weekends, the Lancaster site will feature teams in the Under-16 and Women's Open Division. Tournaments for the Under-14 and Under-19 divisions are scheduled for April 6-8 in Virginia Beach, Va. Approximately 600 athletes from 52 teams will take part in the Lancaster event, with an additional 800 athletes participating in the Virginia Beach tourney.

“We are all very excited about this year’s National Indoor Tournament and the chance to play here in Lancaster,” says U.S. Field Hockey Interim Executive Director Karen Collins as the tournament returns to the city for a third straight year. "The indoor game provides plenty of action, and it is a great atmosphere. We'll have athletes playing field hockey virtually non-stop from 7 p.m. Friday through 4 p.m. on Sunday. They play a lot of games, and they have a lot of fun, but they usually feel it come Monday morning."

Initiated in 1980, the National Indoor Tournament has quickly become one of the sports premier off-season events. Once considered no more than a wintertime diversion, the game has grown to a full-time devotion for athletes looking to hone their skills and impress collegiate recruiters. The popularity of the event has spawned a qualification process where Under-19 and Under-16 teams earn berths in the National Tournament through performances at regional qualifying events held throughout the winter. Winners of the previous year’s pools also receive automatic tournament berths to the National Tournament.

"This year's National Indoor Tournament will be made up of teams that attended qualifiers around the eastern United States," says Sally Scarborough the National Indoor Tournament chair. "For the first time, teams had to apply and place high enough in the qualifier to make it to the National Tournament. These teams from all over the United States make it a true 'national' event."

The National Indoor features teams from ten states including Delaware, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hamphire, New Jersey, New York and Virginia. Rosters of the age group teams at the tournament feature members of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) high school all-America team as well as members of U.S. Field Hockey’s Under-16 and Under-18 teams.

The Under-16 tournament will have a decisively Pennsylvania look with 13 of the 32 teams in the division representing the Keystone State including 2000 Pool champion Hotstyx (Macungie/Fleetwood). Other U16 teams from Pennsylvania include Barracudas Jr (Hummelstown/Hershey), Mid State (Palmyra), High Styx Jr (Gap, Leesport), Screaming Seals (Selinsgrove, Pa.), USTC Mystics (Downingtown), Council Rock White Warriors (Holland), The Jazz (Hummelstown), Mid State B (Palmyra), Storm Trooper Tornado (Harrisburg), Spinage (Mt. Pleasant Mills) and Unionville (West Chester).

The 20-team Women's Open division features defending champ Boston Minutewomen (Mass.) as well as 1999 champ and perennial favorite Red Rose (Middletown, Pa.).

A furiously-paced version of the outdoor game, indoor field hockey features six players on a team trying to push a ball into the opposing team’s goal. Players use special indoor sticks that are thinner and flatter than their outdoor counterparts, and must “push”, rather than “hit” the ball while attempting to score.

Schedules and results for the National Indoor Tournament are available at the U.S. Field Hockey website at www.usfieldhockey.com.

www.usfieldhockey.com